Researchers sampled radiocesium (137Cs), a product of nuclear power generation, from 2013-2016 at eight beaches up to 100 km from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), and found that brackish groundwater beneath the beaches contained the highest 137Cs levels in areas outside of the FDNPP site; according to the authors, the concentrations observed do not pose public health risks, but the findings might have implications for the management of nuclear power plants in coastal areas.
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Article #17-08659: "Unexpected source of Fukushima-derived radiocesium to the coastal ocean of Japan," by Virginie Sanial et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ken Buesseler, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MA; tel: 508-289-2309; e-mail: < kbuesseler@whoi.edu >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences